1. Toby Keith
2. Rascal Flatts
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Gretchen Wilson
5. Keith Urban
6. Tim McGraw
7. Shania Twain
8. George Strait
9. Sugarland
10. Brad Paisley

1. Sugarland
2. Keith Anderson
3. Jason Aldean
4. Miranda Lambert
5. Blaine Larsen
6. Bobby Pinson
7. Shooter Jennings
8. Cowboy Troy
9. Hot Apple Pie
10. Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband

1. "That's What I Live About Sunday" Craig Morgan
2. "As Good As I Once Was" Toby Keith
3. "Bless the Broken Road" Rascal Flatts
4. "Something More" Sugarland
5. "Fast Cars and Freedom" Rascal Flatts
6. "Nothin' To Lose" Josh Gracin
7. "Baby Girl" Sugarland
8. "Making Memories of Us" Keith Urban
9. "Mississippi Girl" Faith Hill
10. "Gone" Montgomery Gentry

1. "Greatest Hits" Shania Twain
2. "Feels Like Today" Rascal Flatts
3. "Greatest Hits 2" Toby Keith
4. "Here for the Party" Gretchen Wilson
5. "Live Like you Were Dying" Tim McGraw
6. "50 Number Ones" George Strait
7. "Be Here" Keith Urban
8. "Honkytonk University" Toby Keith
9. "Horse of a Different Color" Big & Rich
10. "Twice the Speed of Life" Sugarland

Top 5 Country Tours

1. Kenny Chesney $63 million
   99% capacity, 71 shows
2. Toby Keith $32.4 million
   83% capacity, 58 shows
3. Rascal Flatts $26.3 million
   89% capacity, 83 shows
4. Brooks & Dunn 14.8 million
   63% capacity, 48 shows
5. George Strait 14.0 million
   95% capacity, 18 shows

Kilgore died at 70 years old from congestive heart failure from medical complications related to cancer. Kilgore was most known for co-writing "Ring of Fire" with June Carter Cash. He also wrote "More and More" for Webb Pierce and "Wolverton Mountain" for Claude King. Kilgore also performed on his own, opening for Hank Williams, Jr. that he managed.

LeDoux, singer/songwriter and rodeo champion and acclaimed sculpture died the age of 56. He died from complications from an ongoing treatment for cancer of the bile duct.

Chris LeDoux is best known for his duet with Garth Brooks, "Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy." Other hits from LeDoux's 37 albums include "County Fair," "Cadilac Ranch," and "Look at you Girl." LeDoux was also known as a great influence on Garth Brooks, especially in performance. LeDoux's high energy-spark flying concerts were like no other in the business.

Both Toby Keith and Garth Brooks left their labels and set out on their own. Keith, with the opening of Show Dog Records and Brooks with his exclusive deal with Wal-Mart for his label Pearl Records. Craig Morgan had the #1 single of the year on Broken Bow, as well as Jason Aldean having a very successfull year with his debut on the same label.

We also heard about the marriage of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, the engagment of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, and the marriage in May followed by the divorce four months later of Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney. All making making mainstream entertainment news stories in 2005.

This year also, country music lost two labels. KOCH Nashville and Dreamworks Nashville. Leaving several artists including David Lee Murphy, Cledus T Judd from Audium, and Darryl Worley, Jimmy Wayne, and Jessica Andrews from Dreamworks. Also, Sony BMG downsized with letting Tracy Byrd, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Bobby Pinson and Rachel Proctor being cut from the label's roster.

Also, this year, country made the big move to New York City for the CMA Awards, "Walk the Line" stregthened the legacy of Johnny Cash, and many highly antcipated album were released such as Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson and Faith Hill. Though a lot of albums were releases, sales were slightly off in 2005 by 3% this year for country music, though better than the industry as a whole in which was off by 4%. Though, 2004 sales were up 12% in country music, one of the best years, so very hard to do such comparison.

I hope you enjoyed taking a short look back at the previous year. I hope your New Year's is a very safe one and may the new year be prosperous, good health, and filled with the enjoyment good country music.